Our Promise

While the North Texas Food Bank has grown substantially since its inception in 1982, many of our core beliefs remain the same. We hold fast to this set of fundamental ideas as the underlying rationale for our work. These ideas are our conceptual foundation, our starting point, and our guideposts. They are the reasons why we dedicate our lives to the mission of the North Texas Food Bank.

The people of the North Texas Food Bank believe that:

Nourished people create communities that flourish and thrive. For whole communities to develop and thrive, everyone needs to be nourished in many ways. We believe the fundamental nourishment comes from accessible and reliable sources of fresh, healthy food. Without it, no community will flourish and thrive.

We believe no one deserves to be hungry. Regardless of the cause, whether from consequence or circumstance or choice, hunger is never appropriate. Being fed is a human right, and should be offered to all without exception.

We believe hunger starves human potential. The experience of hunger inhibits human possibility – education, vocation, service to others, self-determination, family legacy, peace, safety, aspiration, hope, and a future befitting a human life. Hunger, we believe, is a scourge of humanity.

We believe hunger is unnecessary and unacceptable. With the leadership and resources of our region, we believe that no one needs to be hungry. We have enough. With a shared will and focused determination, we need not resign ourselves to the presence of hunger in our communities. Hunger does not need to be. Hunger should not be.

Through these beliefs, we share our commitment to ourselves and others. These are the beliefs that guide us, the intent that shapes our vision, and the ways we engage our work and our communities. We will exhibit a quality of character and presence in all we do. We will live and work according to a high ethic. We are committed to being the right kind of food bank – all the way through and from our hearts.

In all things, we will:

Be fearless, courageous and bold. The challenges of hunger are daunting. The causes are complex. The consequences are frightening. We are committed to leaning in and taking on some of the most imposing and intractable threats with dogged persistence.

Treat all people with dignity and respect. This work is about people more than it is about food. We are a food bank, but we exist fundamentally to elevate human dignity, human possibility, and the human experience. This consideration of all people permeates everything we do.

Remember one meal makes a difference. We know that the experience of hunger affects many more people than one might imagine. The scale of our response must rise to the scope of the problem. Through it all, however, we bear this in mind: even one meal for one person is the good we seek.